Just over five years ago, on October 17, 2010, I was in St. Peter’s Square for the canonization Mass of six men and women. One of them was St. Camilla Battista of Varano -- a Poor Clare nun who lived during the Renaissance in central Italy. I had in hand a special ticket granting me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy the canonization seated in the privileged “sagrato” -- the area in front of St. Peter’s facçade -- just a few yards away from Pope Benedict XVI. I arrived about an hour early and after clearing security -- and braving the usual chaos when throngs of pilgrims, tourists, and the curious come together for a huge papal event -- I took a seat just a few yards away from the still empty papal throne. Short thereafter, prime ministers, dignitaries, and royalty were escorted in by elderly, Roman, tuxedo-clad noblemen. Seated just a stone’s throw away from me, they were dressed to the hilt in splendid ceremonial uniforms complete with medals, sashes, coattails and high hats. Next, dozens of cardinals and bishops processed in and filled the white travertine limestone with a sea of red and purple. Finally, four Swiss guards came out from under the portico in full Renaissance uniform with helmet, lance and sword indicating the Holy Father’s imminent arrival. Pope Benedict XVI promptly made his way among the crowd riding along in his “popemobile.” After incensing the altar, he ascended to his papal throne at the highest place in the “sagrato.” Thus, began a two-hour liturgy rich in choir music, chant, prayer, incense, and splendor -- all flawlessly orchestrated. I was there thanks to the Poor Clare nuns of Camerino who safeguard the relics and memory of St. Camilla. A year earlier, the sisters had asked me to translate her writings into English in light of the upcoming canonization. The special ticket I had was their thank you. I looked up at the façade of St. Peter’s basilica. I couldn’t help notice that Camilla’s banner was placed last out of the six. However, it seemed appropriate, as she lived her converted life following the Scriptural verse: “The last shall be first” (cf. Matthew 20:16). Yet, there was also some irony in the whole event as Camilla had begun her life surrounded by similar pomp and pageantry, but finished it in poverty at the foot of the cross. I learned a lot about Camilla as I translated her writings. Her father was the powerful ruling lord of Camerino in the Marches -- about an hour from where we now live in Loreto. Though illegitimate, he treated her no different from his other children. She grew up in the splendid Renaissance court surrounded by high culture: poets, historians, philosophers and painters were all regular guests of the duke. She learned Latin and read the classics; she was fond of painting; she played musical instruments; and loved to dance. According to her autobiography, she described her childhood as vivacious and playful and said she loved beautiful and pleasurable things. Above all, she was passionate for the courtly life. However, during Lent of 1466 everything changed. A Franciscan friar exhorted her to shed a little tear each day in memory of Christ’s Passion. It was through this penance/devotion, in which her conversion began. When she was eighteen -- after a series of difficulties including a dramatic break with her father -- she entered a Poor Clare monastery following the Franciscan reform of the Strict Observance. Following the reform, Camilla lived a life of harsh penance and asceticism within the monastery. She committed herself to continual suffering with her beloved Christ where he was: on the cross. But, she also dedicated herself in loving service toward her neighbor beginning with her sisters. Camilla emphasized living the virtuous life, faithfulness toward her vows, and service towards others as essential to a healthy spirituality. Camilla was endowed with notable intellectual qualities and is known for her writings, which were read and meditated on by the likes of St. Philip Neri and Cardinal Borromeo. This is remarkable also for the fact that women writers were not common nor taken seriously then. Writing in Latin and in the vernacular Italian, her writings focused heavily on the cross. Her first work was Lauda della Visione di Cristo (“Praises of the Vision of Christ”). In it, she describes a relationship with Christ that is familiar and confident, almost casual. At the same time, she also wrote a work in Latin on the Passion of Christ. Later, in 1483, she wrote Ricordi di Gesù (“Memories of Jesus”), in which she reveals mystical experiences that took place after entering the convent. Her best known work was written in 1488 and is the height of her meditations on the Passion: I Dolori Mentali di Gesu’ nella Sua Passione (“The Mental Sorrows of Christ in His Passion”). This work focuses not so much on the corporal sufferings or the physical wounds of Christ, as much on the sufferings of his heart. Between 1488 and 1491, she underwent a painful period of spiritual desolation in which she felt God’s absence. Nevertheless, she wrote various prayers to God the Father, Jesus Crucified, the Eucharist, and the Virgin -- all reflecting her profound interior and prayer life. During this time she wrote her long autobiography in the form of a letter. Known as Vita Spirituale (“Spiritual Life”) she describes her life before entering the convent, details of her conversion, and mystical experiences after entering. In 1501, she wrote Instruzioni al Discepolo (“Instructions to the Disciple”) which is chock full of practical advice and counsel for living the spiritual life inside or outside the monastery. Finally, in 1521, she wrote La purità del cuore (“Purity of heart”), her most mature work. Some of her writings may be difficult to understand. They also may seem foreign or somewhat archaic, as we are less accustomed today to focusing on penance and suffering. Yet, reading the mystics -- who spent so much time in prayer and meditation -- still remains an authentic form of prayerful meditation and devotion. As St. Camilla wrote in Spiritual Life: “These things cannot be easily spoken of, but rather contemplated by the grace of God.” In St. Camilla, I gained not only an intercessor, but an example, a friend, a guide. St. Battista’s feast day is June 2. She is the patroness of lepers.
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RC
5/31/2019 01:14:27 pm
Hello,
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Bret ThomanCatholic. Franciscan. Married. Father. Pilgrim guide. Writer. Translator. Pilot. Aspiring sailor. Archives
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